Ex-Met Matt Harvey Working Toward Big-League Comeback

It’s been a long, hard fall for Matt Harvey. In the span of a few years, The Dark Knight has gone from pitching in the World Series to being out of baseball entirely.

After flaming out with the Mets—the team that drafted him seventh overall out of the University of North Carolina—in spectacular fashion in 2018, Harvey resurfaced in Cincinnati, pitching well enough there to warrant a one-year, $11-million contract with the Angels. The Connecticut native wasn’t long for Southern California, lasting mere months in Anaheim before the Halos kicked him to the curb.

After failing to earn a September call-up with the Athletics (he’d been pitching for their Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas), Harvey departed Oakland in hopes of finding a big-league opportunity elsewhere. Aside from a flirtation with the Blue Jays, who briefly pursued Harvey as a reliever, the 31-year-old’s free-agent market has been nonexistent. Harvey’s abysmal 5.89 ERA since 2017 may have something to do with the collective cold shoulder he’s received from MLB.

Harvey, the National League’s All-Star starter in 2013, has been a shell of his pre-injury self, struggling with control issues and diminished velocity in recent years. Between his Tommy John and thoracic outlet surgeries, it would be understandable if the tabloid favorite didn’t have much left at this late juncture in his career. But he’s not ready to pack it in just yet. The seven-year vet seemed to be bringing the heat in a video posted to his Instagram Thursday, firing a strike to home plate while throwing off an indoor mound.

The 6’4” right-hander may get another look at some point, though obviously it will have to come after the coronavirus quarantine, as all 30 teams have been in a roster/transaction freeze since the league’s shutdown in March. Whether it’s proving himself in the minors or pitching out of the pen, Harvey seems determined to keep his big-league dream alive any way possible.